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OK, my new comment on Kat's post from a few days ago is getting too long, so I am putting it here. You can read her original post and the comments I am commenting on here: http://kathrynvh.blogspot.com/2008/09/are-you-ready-for-some-foot-law.html#comments

In answer to Uncle Marcel's last comment there, I was not taught to fear Christians in school and I don't fear Christians specifically. I fear fanatics of any sort. And we certainly were not taught hatred and I hope none of our comments have been interpreted as "hatred" of anyone. Well, maybe Bush. Oh yeah, and Cheney.

McCain and Palin simply do not agree with what I believe is right for our country.

I believe in choice and stem cell research. I believe in gay marriage and gays being able to serve openly in the military (don't ask/don't tell is an asinine concept which sanctions lies of omission--not very christian).

I don't have a clue what to do about the war in Iraq. I don't think we should have been there in the first place. I think the Bush administration (I personally think Cheney is pulling all the strings, but I have no proof of that) lied to get congress to vote for the war and I think we have a better chance of getting out of Iraq with a democrat who can admit that we shouldn't be there, than a republican who will have to save face for the good of the party.

I don't believe in lowering taxes. I believe that we need tax dollars (and government intervention) to get important things done. Like public education. Like enough public servants to effectively run our cities and states. Like streets and highways and basic infrastructure necessary to keep our economy functioning. Like research into renewable energy sources and other important scientific endeavors.

I believe in heath care for everyone. Would universal health care be a perfect solution? Probably not, but what we have isn't working so maybe we can try something else. Michael Moore's movie Sicko may have been flawed, but it certainly made me grateful to have a good job and good health and good insurance. If the republican's do win and they truly want to get rid of the "grafters, crooks and cheaters" as soon as they are done with the oil companies they can start on the health care industry.

Is Obama going to be able to provide all of the things that are important to me? Probably not. But he believes in them too, so he is the one I am putting my faith in come November.

Best Clip Ever

I had a hard time sitting and listening to the speeches at the RNC last night and I am glad John Stewart is around to find the opposite clips to bring all of the hypocrisy home.

i thought the charges of "flip flopping" were silly when they did it against Kerry (yes, by all means stick with a bad position no matter what) and I really thought they would not be picking that stick up again since McCain as been very busy flipping and flopping to make the more conservative members of the party happy, but Guiliani did it. The gall is apalling.

The Agony of Acquisition

Last week I took Jackson to Target as his something special and he got to pick out a toy. I reserved the right to veto any purchase and to pull him out of the store completely if necessary. Which I almost did. Not because he was misbehaving, but because he could not make up his mind. Just buy the damn squishy dinosaurs and be done with it! No, I think there may be something wonderful just down here.

I remember this purchasing paralysis from my own childhood. I am sure I was never allowed to pick out anything by myself at 4, but when I was older it did occasionally fall to me to "pick something" to purchase. I always failed miserably and it always took me a fews hours to do it.

I remember one purchase in particular. I am going to be generous to myself and say I was 10 (I was probably 15) and we were on vacation and allowed to buy one item (our limit was probably $5 or so). I tried to find the coolest thing in the store, the thing that would not make me look like dork. It took hours (or until Mom yelled, just pick something already--so probably more like 5 minutes) and I failed miserably. I picked a hat that depicted cans of Campbell's Pork and Beans. Or maybe it was pants. Whatever it was, my thought process said "I like beans and I like the color orange so this must be good." OMG, so wrong. As soon as I was out of the store I knew I would never wear this Campbell's Pork and Bean hat (or was it a shirt). I knew that I would be laughed at mercilously. I wore it a few times in front of mom so that she would know that it was not a bad idea to let me pick something for myself. But it was a bad idea. It was a terrible idea. I am sure now that she (and all of my siblings) were laughing at me in my Campbell's Pork and Bean hat (maybe it was shoes). And rightly so. I was a dork. A Campbell's Pork and Bean dork.

I am better at purchasing today. I know what I like (comfort above all) and I know not to buy anything that has Campbell's Pork and Beans on it. Except, of course, cans of Campbell's Pork and Beans. Mmmmm, beans.